Sunday May 14th from Dana Point to Newport Harbor to Dana Point Eric and Christi on board. No one else. Time for our first completely solo trip aboard Kosmos.

Besides getting the first solo trip behind us, we wanted to get the engine hours up before we did our first oil change, which was scheduled for the next day. We decided to go to Newport Harbor about 20 miles away. They have less expensive fuel there, and we figured it was a good idea to get some extra fuel before our trip to Ensenada. Everything went fine. We easily made the trip, and docking for fuel went smooth.

But there were a couple bits of drama. We decided to run the wing propulsion system, which is our auxiliary/emergency system in case there is anything wrong on the main. Because the wing engine was so new some paint started to burn off creating a little smoke and smell, but nothing bad.

Then, as we were coming back, we noticed the oil pressure go up on the main engine. But not smoothly — the gauge was jittering. Engine temperature was completely normal and nothing odd that we could see in the engine room. We reduced speed to be safe and docked. Jittering gauges usually mean loose connections. Sure enough, upon inspection we found the loose connection. A small cap had fallen off. It was an easy fix and it now has a lock washer to keep it on better.

Overall it was an easy trip. Christi even slept part the time. It did feel good to have the boat to ourselves, and we began to feel more settled into our boat.